How Person Centred Therapy for depression can help 

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​“Feeling depressed” is often used to describe a low mood, but depression is much more than feeling a bit down.  It consists of a variety of feelings and emotions and can be completely draining in energy and strength.

Depression is felt differently by each of us, and to varying degrees. It may be a single reaction to a sudden life change, such as redundancy or serious illness, an out-of-the-blue episode or grow over time with no recognisable cause.

Symptoms can include persistent sadness, hopelessness, lifelessness and low self-worth, loss of interest and enjoyment and crying for long periods. You may hide away from the world, feel numb and isolate from important relationships, and you end up fatigued and lethargic, and suffer from sleeplessness and changes in appetite, memory and sex drive. Perhaps you’re plagued by self-loathing, irritability, guilt, having no meaning in life and even wanting to die.

Person-centred Therapy (PCT) is a highly effective form of therapy that can help those suffering from depression. It’s based on the idea that individuals have an innate ability to heal themselves, and the Therapist's role is to create a supportive environment in which this can happen. PCT focuses on the individual and their feelings, rather than trying to diagnose or ‘fix’ them. This means that people can be empowered to make their own decisions and explore their feelings without feeling judged or controlled.

​The positive news is that while there may be no ‘quick fixes’, most people weighed down with depressive symptoms can feel well again with effective support. Working with a counsellor provides a non-judgemental, safe relationship in which to address the underlying causes of your depressive experiences and to the develop self-acceptance and understanding of your situation necessary for you to be able to manage your struggles more effectively in the present.

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